Don Martineau

Don Martineau was a hard checking winger out of British Columbia. He would go on to play 90 games in the National Hockey League, most notably with the Minnesota North Stars in the 1974-75 season but also with the Atlanta Flames and Detroit Red Wings.

His best hockey professionally was played in the Central Hockey League where he led both the Omaha Knights (1973) and Kansas City Blues (1977) to Adams Cup championships. He also played one solid season at the American Hockey League level.

Martineau was a popular player everywhere he played thanks to his willingness to stir things up with his physical game. He primarily played a north and south game and could score at the minor league level.

After hockey Don Martineau settled in Waterloo, Nebraska and established a 240 acre kennel known as the Riverside Meadows Pet Motel in 1978 with his wife, an Omaha native. By 2005 he became an American citizen, reportedly because he was upset at Canada's unwillingness to join USA in the invasion of Iraq.

Don Martineau passed away on March 26th, 2006. He was just 53 years old.